OFFICIAL Jarome Luai - #295

[Dennisspicer1]

Just one thing that I think needs to be pointed out Dennis, It's not LABOUR, it's actually LABOR.

The reason is that they don't care about U or me when it comes down to it. 😡

I will say one more thing and that is that you were 100% correct about ALBANESE BEING AN IDIOT. ✅

Thanks teach for the correction.

 

[Wezt]

Give him a BBQ.

For old times sake

 

[Tito Santana]

Not sure why this is a shock. I said a month ago that Benii would ride the dead horse all the way to the finish line, and here we are.

Because Benji has honour and integrity. That’s why he has the backing of so many.

 

[rugbygoated]

Yep. Benji had no choice. As he said, he respects people who show respect. Benji is trying to set cultural standards and clear lines of what he accepts and what he doesn't.

If Benji were to have dropped Luai, after he did everything right contractually and with respect to the club. What message would that send? It would impact our recruitment chances in the future.

Benji played it correctly.

Jarome has broken no rules. The only thing wrong he has done in the process is the I'm here for life talk he came up with in July last year after constant media questioning about his clauses. It makes him look stupid now, but since then he's done nothing wrong. Trip to PNG in April was before his clause would be deactivated on April 30 until November for going to market, with the PNG opportunity and money not likely as high if he wasn't the first signing. His form has been very poor. He has also been a constant feature on daily news segments and drama shows targeting him solely even during games where he wasn't that bad. The club moved him on when he was happy to stay another year under contract. It's an easy scapegoat this PNG thing

 

[Cultured_Bogan]

Because Benji has honour and integrity. That’s why he has the backing of so many.

The same Benji Marshall that showed up on TV in an Auckland Blues jersey while still under contract to WT?

That Benji?

 

[TV Ted Ellery]

I thought Ivan valued him at a bit less than that, around 700k.

In a good team like Penrith, he's arguably worth $700k. But his output for the Tigers is on par with a back-up half on 250k.

 

[Droppy05]

I thought Ivan valued him at a bit less than that, around 700k.

Ivan is no fool.

 

[Droppy05]

Give him a BBQ.

For old times sake

Give him a kick up the arse on the way out.

 

[mtd#2]

Jarome has broken no rules. The only thing wrong he has done in the process is the I'm here for life talk he came up with in July last year after constant media questioning about his clauses. It makes him look stupid now, but since then he's done nothing wrong. Trip to PNG in April was before his clause would be deactivated on April 30 until November for going to market, with the PNG opportunity and money not likely as high if he wasn't the first signing. His form has been very poor. He has also been a constant feature on daily news segments and drama shows targeting him solely even during games where he wasn't that bad. The club moved him on when he was happy to stay another year under contract. It's an easy scapegoat this PNG thing

Maybe technically he hasnt broken any rules, but whilst contracted with the wests tigers, promoting png chiefs wearing 001 is as shit as it gets.

 

[hank37w]

Ivan is no fool.

Definitely not.

I don't even hate him any more.

 

[GNR4LIFE]

Ivan is no fool.

Let’s no re-write history. He also let Crichton go. He didn’t let these players go because he didn’t rate them. He just couldn’t keep all of them. Luai won 4 comps in a row. Of course his price tag was going to be through the roof. Easy to be a Monday morning QB now, but 99% of people were fine with what he was being paid in January 2024.

 

[Cultured_Bogan]

Let’s no re-write history. He also let Crichton go. He didn’t let these players go because he didn’t rate them. He just couldn’t keep all of them. Luai won 4 comps in a row. Of course his price tag was going to be through the roof. Easy to be a Monday morning QB now, but 99% of people were fine with what he was being paid in January 2024.

Who's re-writing history? Ivan was right in what he said. He knew who the general was in the side, and it wasn't Luai. Desperate teams (i.e. Tigers, Chiefs albeit they are desperate to build a new roster it's not so much driven out of a decade and a half of failure,) are required to pay overs to lure players away from successful clubs. Canterbury had to do the same with Crichton. He was probably a $600-700k a year player at Penrith, at Canterbury at the time they signed him, he is a marquee signing.

Even now, Luai to Penrith would only be a $700-800k a year player.

 

[Cultured_Bogan]

Not sure why this is a shock. I said a month ago that Benii would ride the dead horse all the way to the finish line, and here we are.

Who is in shock? This club has no self-respect, of course they'll give him a reach-around on the way out.

 

[Cultured_Bogan]

Definitely not.

I don't even hate him any more.

Can't argue with the outcome can you? 5 straight GF's and 4 straight wins.

"Oh you dogged the Tigers!"

Sorry mate, can't hear you. The reception is shitty at the top of the ladder...

 

[GNR4LIFE]

Who's re-writing history? Ivan was right in what he said. He knew who the general was in the side, and it wasn't Luai. Desperate teams (i.e. Tigers, Chiefs albeit they are desperate to build a new roster it's not so much driven out of a decade and a half of failure,) are required to pay overs to lure players away from successful clubs. Canterbury had to do the same with Crichton. He was probably a $600-700k a year player at Penrith, at Canterbury at the time they signed him, he is a marquee signing.

Even now, Luai to Penrith would only be a $700-800k a year player.

The history is being re-written in regards to everyone’s feelings at the time when we signed him. You weren’t around so you probably wouldn’t know. Everyone was excited. No one questioned the price tag. It was a necessity given where our club was at to attract top tier players. Now people claim in it was a bad contract and he was always over rated.

 

[Cultured_Bogan]

The history is being re-written in regards to everyone’s feelings at the time when we signed him. You weren’t around so you probably wouldn’t know. Everyone was excited. No one questioned the price tag. It was a necessity given where our club was at to attract top tier players. Now people claim in it was a bad contract and he was always over rated.

I would think most were OK with the price tag based on his form at Penrith but still understood we were paying overs to get him. He was being brought here to be a leader. As it played out he was anything but. Ivan knew this, obviously knew he would struggle outside their system and that's why he felt he wasn't worth what we were offering at Penrith.

They way things have played out, it certainly was a bad contract in hindsight. No one has to remain set in their view based on whenever it was he agreed to sign. He has grossly underperformed, has rarely led from the front, made claims that he was here for the long haul only to book it when yet again more money came knocking. What everyone may have been saying at the time he signed is completely irrelevant now. His time here, like with all big money recruits that come here, has been an abject failure. And people are entitled to change their view on that.

You can feel optimistic in 2024 at the prospect of him coming here, and sit here now in 2026 and say "he didn't live up to the expectation by a long margin, there was definitely something in what Cleary said." That's not re-writing history, that's reflecting.